Header for compressing packing



Oct. 6, 1-925. 1,556,03fl

H. P. RHODES HEADER FOR CGMPRESSING PACKING Filed March 51, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 1 l'oznaq Oct. 6 1925.

Filed. March 31, 1924 3 Sheets-Shet 2 attozueq Oct. 6, 1925, 1,556,031

H. P. RHODES HEADER FOR COMPRESSING PACKING Filed March 31. 1924 3 Sheets-sheaf: 3

auiozucq Patented Get. 6, 1925.

OFFCE.

EAMTTON P. RHODES,- 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

DEB FOR CDMIRESSING PACKHTG.

Application filed March 31, 1924. Serial No. 703,132.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAMrToN P. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Headers for Compressing Packing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved ap paratus for compressing and forming metallic packing for use in engines, pumps and similar devices.

lftis an object of the invention to provide a device for compressing and forming packing which is capable of continuous operation, and which is adjustable for the formation of packing of different sizes.

It is another object of the invention to pro-1 vide an apparatus for forming packing which may be easily assembled and operated so as to form the size of packing desired. Other objects and advantages of the invention, and the manner in which these objects are accomplished, will appear more clearly in the specification which follows:

Referring to the drawing herewith, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus, one of the forming rollers being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the apparatus in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately centrally of the forming rollers. Like numerals of reference are employed to designate like parts in all views.

In the forming of flexible metallic packing for use in steam engines, pumps. etc., it is desirable to form the packing in long ropes or cables,'which may be out into such lengths as are desired for the particular installation in whichit is employed, and my device is intended to assemble and compress the materials going into the metallic packing so that a flexible cover of fabric may be later placed on the packing thus formed.

1 employ strips of Babbitt-metal, asbestos \vicking, or cord sheets of lead and rubber assembled together in one continuous cable and compressed into the desired shape, either cylindrical or polygonal, as desired.

In order to compress this material into a cable of the proper shape, T employ a pair of adjacent rollers 1 and 2 mounted on parallel shafts 3 and 4, respectively. The rollers are keyed to the shaft by means of keys 5 fitting in keyways 6 in the shaft, and may be fixed in any position along the shaft by may be polygonal instead of cylindrical if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention, but as both forms of packing are old, no further showing is thought to be necessary.

The shafts 3 and 4 upon which the rollers are mounted are supported upon transverse members 10 and 11 on the upper end of the frame work, and have bearings 12 on each end thereof. On the shaft 4 outside the member 10 may be placed a pulley 13 by which the said shaft may be rotated from any source of power. The two shafts have crown gears 14 and 15 formed on their adj acent ends, and of such size as to. mesh with each other whereby rotation may be imparted from shaft 1 to shaft 3 in an obvious manner. 7

Supported upon a suitable base below the shafts 3 and 42 is a plate 16, the lower end of which is bent laterally to rest upon the base, the upper portion extending from the base to a point spaced immediately below the rollers 1 and 2. The said plate forms a supporting bearing for a plurality of rollers 17 and 18 arranged in pairs vertically below the upper set of rollers 1 and 2. These rollers 17. 17, and 18, 18, are mounted upon stub shafts 19, 19 and 20, 20, respectively. @ne end of the shaft is supported in the plate 16, the said shaft projecting laterally from the plate. The rollers have one groove 21 therein, of fixed size, and are mounted on sleeves 22, which sleeves are in turn rotatable upon said shafts. As shown in Fig. 3. roller bearings 24 may be employed. The rollers are held in position upon the bearing sleeves 22 by means of a flange 25 at the inner end of said sleeve, and removable nuts 26 on the outer side of the rollers in the manner shown particularly in Fig. 3. The rollers may be fixed to rotate with the bearing sleeves by means of bolts or pins 27 extending through the flange and fitting within a recess in the side of the roller.

' As shown in Fig. 2, the rollers 17 and 18 are arranged in (pairs with their peripheries contacting at, a jacent points. The inner flanges 25 are formed with teeth on their peripheries by means of which they may e caused to rotate simultaneously.

The gears formed by the flanges 25 are operated by intermediate connecting gears arranged so that each adjacent set of two rolls 17 operates to pull the packing cable upwardly between them. The upper and next adjacent sets of rolls are connected for operation by means of a gear 28 meshing with gear 15 on its upper side. Said gear 28 is fixed on shaft 29 mounted in a bearing 30 on plate 16. A central gear 31, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, is fixed upon the shaft 29' closely adjacent the plate 16 immediately above the next lower roll 17 in such position as to mesh with the teeth u on the gear 25. In this manner the rolls 1'? are made to rotate in the same direction as the gears 14 and 15.

The lower rolls 17 are also rotated in the same direction by means of an intermediate gear 32 mounted on shaft 33, supported in bearings upon plate 16 as shown in Fig. 2.

The cable or packing material which is com ressed. between the three sets of vertical ly aligned rollers is guided in its passage upwardly between guide plates fitting between the various sets of rollers. Between rollers 14 and 15 and the next lower set of rollers 17 are two guide plates 34 and 35. The two plates are mounted in spaced relation upon a shaft 36. Said shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing 37 on plate 16. The outer end of this shaft is provided with a knurled handle 38 by mean-s of which it may be rotated. The end portion of the shaft upon which the plate 34 is secured, is threaded so as to move the plate 34 forwardly or backwardly, depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft. That central portion of the shaft upon which the plate 35 is mounted is smooth so that the rotation of the shaft does not impart movement to the said plate 35.. By the use of this apparatus the rotation of the shaft will advance or retract the plate 34 relative to the plate 35 so as to space the said plates at the proper distance apart to accommodate the size of packing metal which is being formed.

A second set of guide plates 39 and 40 is fitted between the two lower sets of rolls, and mounted upon a shaft 41 having a knurled handle 42 thereon for rotationof said shaft in the bearings 43 in plate 16. Plate 39 is movable on the shaft 41 in the same manner as is the plate 34 on shaft 36. The plate 40 is stationary as is plate 35.

It is noted that the two sets of shafts 19 and 20 upon which the rolls 17 are mounted, are extended beyond the plate 16, and in order to connect the ends of said shafts 19, and also the shafts 20, to prevent the spread of the adjacent rolls relative to each other, I provide a connecting bar 44 which is cut away on the lower side at each end so as to fit over the said shaft and to be locked in position thereon by nuts 45. The bar 44 thus acts to hold the outer ends of these adjacent shafts together so as to hold the peripheries of the rolls in contact at all times and assure the formation of a cable of uniform diameter. The lower set of rolls 17 are likewise held together by. a similar bar 46 secured upon the ends of the shafts 20.

In the operation of my device thematerials making up the cable are fed to the lower side of the lower rolls 17, and 17, and are drawn upwardly through the groove 21 in the rollers which are being used. It is obvious of course that the rolls 1 and 2 may be moved longitudinally of the shafts 3 and 4 so as to bring the desired rooves above the guide plates 34 and 35. In Fig. 3 the rolls are shown as set closely adjacent the gears 14 and 15, and in Fig. 1, they are shown as moved away from said gears in such position as to bring the smaller grooves over the guide plates. Said guide plates are spaced the proper distance apart to correspond to the desired width of cable, and will of course have the space between them of such width as to correspond to that of the groove in which the packing material is being received. Both the guide plates 34 and 39 will be adjusted to receive the size of cable being formed.

The rotation of the shafts 3' and 4 will be communicated through connecting gears to actuate the lower sets of rollers and the cable 7 will be drawn upwardly through the successive forming rollers and will issue from the upper end in such shape so as to receive the outer jacket of woven material.

The advantages of my device lie in the simplicity of construction of the forming rollers, their adjustability for different sizes of packing, and the convenient arrangement of guide plates also adjustable for the different sizes of cable being formed. It is also a material advantage to form these parts so that they may be easily adjustable as described, and yet'be so rigidly supported as to prevent the spreading of the rollers relative to each other, as might otherwise occur.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description. What I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described an upper set of contacting guide rollers hav ing peripherial grooves therein of various sizes, additional compressing rolls below said upper set of rolls, guide plates between adjaity of cable receiving grooves 0 r1.-

ge in rhe peripher 7 Y receiving roi I "oils guide plates be (5552), :3; c; rcfis, ore of which i means permitting the movement upper set of rolls longitudinally upon their shafts for she purpose described. 7

3. in a device for forming pecking cable the character described, upper set of 1' 11s ieving peripherei grceves therein of (iifterent g2 e said roiis contacting "with each other, end edjusrebie on their shafts, additional guide rolls iaelo'w seiei upper roiis,

said edditionei reiie leaving me fixed greove bherein and guide between-said adjacen: set of rolils seifl plates being adjustable to eccommodete size of packing cable Toemg f rmed "Zerrning pecking ceioie roiis vertically e 5; below said. compressmg r we the eebie from one 5 adjacent sefi means e operate said rolls he drew the cable up- HAMPTQN P. RHUDES.

ribed, :1 set of upper O 

